site.btaParliament Rejects Presidential Veto on Revisions to State Property Act

May 29 (BTA) - On Wednesday, Parliament unanimously
rejected President Radev's veto on revisions to the State
Property Act, with 143 MPs in favour for adopting the amendments
 again. The ruling party GERB, the United Patriots and the
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) stated they do not share
the President's concerns and once again supported the revisions.

On May 15, Parliament passed conclusively revisions to the State
 Property Act, streamlining the procedure for expropriation of
private immovables for state needs and designating industrial
zones or technological parks with the requisite infrastructure
for the attraction of investments as "national works". One of
Radev's motives for vetoing the provisions is the lack of
criteria on which the Council of Ministers will define sites of
national importance because of which the scope of the advance
implementation might affect many private properties without
guarantees that these are sites for common use in the public
interest. He also opposed the introduction of a restriction on
the amount of a financial guarantee set by the court, which is
one third of the compensation according to the law.

Legal Affairs Committee Chair Anna Alexandrova (GERB) noted that
 the proposed revision for expanding the scope of the advance
implementation of expropriation does not prerequisite
malpractice. "We also oppose the President's thesis that the
revisions create unequal treatment of small and large owners of
 farmlands and forest areas," she said.

Hristian Mitev (United Patriots) noted that by vetoing the
revisions, the President does not support in any way the idea
for accelerating the investment process not only in terms of
infrastructure projects such as highways, gas pipelines and
ports, but also in terms of constructing investment areas.

Hamid Hamid (MRF) commented that the current bill supports the
investment interest and protects the public one. "We do not
share the President's concerns," he noted. RY/TH